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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29418444">The 10 Year Plan</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MishaK/pseuds/MishaK'>MishaK</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1 (TV), Supernatural, The 10 Year Plan (2014)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Bartender Evan "Buck" Buckley, Best Friends, Bisexual Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Bisexual Evan "Buck" Buckley, Crossover Pairings, Dean Winchester Has Internalized Homophobia, Firefighter Dean Winchester, Firefighter Eddie Diaz, Love Confessions, M/M, Minor Eddie Diaz/Shannon Diaz, Secret Crush, Speech Pathologist Castiel, Straight Dean Winchester, homosexual castiel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:13:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,551</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29418444</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MishaK/pseuds/MishaK</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After Eddie got dumped on the Valentine's Day, Buck made a “10 Year plan” with him that they'll be together if both of them are still single in a decade. On the other hand, Castiel decided to give up his secret crush to Dean for a decade long, and look for a serious relationship. And just 3 months before the 10-year plan expired, Buck made up his mind to hook up Eddie and Castiel as he was not prepared for a long-term relationship.  He made them lovers successfully, but is this the ideal ending for everyone?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel (Supernatural)/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Castiel/Dean Winchester, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">

        <li>
          Translation into 中文-普通话 國語 available: 
            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30029724">十年之約</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/MishaK/pseuds/MishaK">MishaK</a>
        </li>


    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Dean, it's my treat today, they have the famous strawberry pie, eat as much as you want.” Eddie and Dean were heading to a restaurant. </p><p>“Wow, Eddie, you're so generous.” Dean was in a good mood, as it’s rare for him and his buddy to have few days off over the weekend. Besides the desire of the strawberry pie, he was also excited about having lunch with Sam and Castiel the next day, as he had not met his brother and best friend for more than a month. </p><p>“Uh, I don't have a problem with this... you know, about the same-sex relationship thing, but don't you think it's better to find Christopher a mother instead of another father?” Dean frowned slightly.</p><p>“I don’t really care whether that's a guy or a chick, as long as we have feelings for each other, and he or she’s nice to Christopher.” Eddie said with a serious face.</p><p>“That’s right, but why would your best friend introduce you guys but not chicks? I still don’t get it.” Dean questioned.</p><p>“Well, he is playing both teams, but I guess he prefers chicks. He will surely get his hands on if he sees someone good, why would he introduce to me then?” Eddie opened the door of the restaurant. “Also, he works at a gay bar, and the guy he wants to hook me up with is one of the regulars who they’ve known each other for few years... guess that guy is not his cup of tea.”</p><p>“Smart guy.” Dean whispered.</p><p>“They're over there.” Eddie looked around for a moment, then pointed to Buck.</p><p>*****************************************</p><p>“Cas, why are you here?” Dean was surprised.</p><p>“You guys know each other?” Eddie scanned both Dean and Castiel.</p><p> Castiel was so shocked that his eyes were wide open and his mind was strike blank. He was totally stunned and muted, and he had no idea how to react to his best friend’s question. When Buck told Castiel that he was introducing him a firefighter, Castiel immediately thought of Dean, but Buck also said the guy is a bi-sexual with a child, so he was sure it couldn’t be Dean. He didn’t ever think Dean would have shown up here, and Dean didn’t know Castiel is gay neither. When they first met, Castiel wanted to come out to Dean, but sadly no opportunities at all.</p><p>Castiel suddenly had a glimpse of the past in his mind…</p><p>“Well, I don’t hate it, I just can't understand why guys like dicks…” Castiel recalled there was a time Dean said that, so he decided to keep his secret from Dean. He had been loving Dean not long after they met, and he was afraid that confessing to Dean would affect their friendship. It became even more difficult for Castiel to talk about it after they became best friends.</p><p>Castiel is never good at lying, and he tried almost everything to hide his secret from Dean, and he even asked his good friend, Meg, to fake as his girlfriend. He knew that once he started lying, more lies were needed to cover up the previous ones. Though he was prepared to deal with the mess when the truth finally revealed, he just didn't think it would be today.</p><p>It’s definitely one of the most awkward moments ever. Buck is a smart guy, he could tell right away from Castiel's reaction, that there was something between Dean and him. This was the first time that Buck met Dean, he had already heard quite a lot about Dean from both Eddie and Castiel. Although the descriptions were slightly different, one thing was certain - Dean Winchester is definitely the straightest guy in the universe, and also has some grouchy personalities. Though Castiel never mentioned that his secret crush is a firefighter, Buck knew Dean is Eddie’s colleague, so he could see the connections. Buck intended to match Castiel with Eddie, because he thought Castiel was kind, forthright, patient and handsome, and Castiel and his beloved Christopher would get along well. His best friend deserved such a good guy after all.</p><p>Buck recalled Castiel said Dean didn't know about his sexual interest and he didn't want Castiel to be embarrassed, so he tried to make up an excuse. “well… I just got a text from that guy, he couldn’t make it suddenly, so I asked Cas to come over to join us dinner…”</p><p>“I'm gay.” Castiel interrupted Buck, said it calm while standing up. The secret that had been hidden for many years could not be kept at last. He knew Dean well and he knew how angry Dean would be as he had lied to him for ten years. He deserved it.</p><p>“What?!” Dean exploded and looked overwhelmed. “What about Meg? Isn't she your girlfriend?”</p><p>“Meg's just my good friend, she is just a cover-up...” Castiel couldn’t look at Dean in his eyes.</p><p>“What the fuck?” Dean was so angry that blue veins popped on his forehead and his body trembled slightly.</p><p>“Dean, I’m so sorry…”</p><p>“Son of a bitch! Of course you're sorry!” ” Dean yelled and walked away.</p><p>“Dean!” Eddie tried to stop him.</p><p>“Sorry, Eddie, I lost my appetite for dinner.” Dean just kept walking away without looking back.</p><p>Castiel looked at the back of the person who he had been loving for so long, he also tried to stop him, but he got nothing to say. He stretched out his right hand as if he were trying to catch something, but he knew he couldn't catch anything, and he had just lost his best friend.</p><p>“Sorry guys, I'm gotta leave...” Castiel picked up his beige trench coat and prepared to leave.</p><p> “You may not have much of an appetite, but people say desserts can cheer us up, and the strawberry pies here are super good. Well, it's Dean's loss. I think you should try them.” Eddie smiled at Castiel and extended his hands, “I'm Edmundo Diaz, you can call me Eddie. You are Cas, right?”</p><p>Buck saw Eddie’s smiling face and figured out Castiel may be the right guy for him. Although he was happy for Eddie, he couldn’t fight unpleasant and sour feeling at the bottom of his heart...</p><p>*****************************************</p><p>10 years ago.</p><p>“Hey, Eddie, are you alright?” Buck arrived at the restaurant as soon as he got Eddie's call.</p><p>“I'm fine... not fine at all, Mandy just dumped me.” Eddie was very frustrated.</p><p>“Oh, Eddie, I'm sorry. I can't believe she picked the Valentine's Day to dump you.” The waiter brought Buck a soda.</p><p>“Soda? seriously?” Buck frowned.</p><p>“Of course, I can't order beer for an underage boy, can I?”</p><p>“I'm nineteen!” Buck rolled his eyes at Eddie.</p><p>“When you turn twenty-one, I'll order you beer.” Eddie shrugged.</p><p>“Here, it will cheer you up. It’s a… birthday present. But don't get too excited, it’s not too much, you know I'm a poor student who just graduated…” Buck handed Eddie a paper bag.</p><p>“Birthday? what are you talking about? My birthday is few months later. Buck!” Eddie took out a gift box from the paper bag, opened it, and there was a photo frame with a picture of them.</p><p>“It's... No way! You printed it out? That football game... it's really good.” Eddie looked at the photo and smiled, as if recalling the football game. He looked rather happy.</p><p>“Yeah, that was a really good time, and that’s the day we met.” Buck looked at Eddie's touching face, and that warmed him up too. “I made two of them, one for you and one for me. You know I just wanted to do something you would like.” Buck raised the soda in his hand, “Here's to the girls... and the boys. Fuck them!”</p><p>“Buck!” Eddie shook his head and laugh. “To find the perfect one.” Eddie held up the champagne in his hand.</p><p>“To friends.” Buck responded.</p><p>“To a relationship.” </p><p>“Being single.” Buck and Eddie clinked their glasses with a crisp sound. </p><p>“Buck, do me a favor, don’t let me die alone.” Eddie took a sip of champagne, put his glass down and gave Buck a serious look.</p><p>“Edmundo Diaz, you're only twenty-two, why would you tell someone who's not even twenty that you're afraid of dying alone?” Buck said roughly.</p><p>“I'm serious.” Eddie said with a serious face.</p><p>“Come on, you know that I’m always gonna be here for you. Alright, I can tell you’re obsessing over this already... I’ll make you a deal. If ten years we’re both still single and neither of us have found anybody, we’ll be boyfriends, a couple, together forever.” It was a banter for Buck, who just wanted to comfort his best friend.</p><p>“A back-up plan?” Eddie squinted his eyes. “Are you serious?”</p><p>“Sure!” Buck found two sheets of paper napkin. “Here, you are the one who’s going to write something up, two copies and I’ll sign it.”</p><p>When Buck signed his name in two paper napkin, he held up his soda again. “Here’s to ten years of freedom.”</p><p>Eddie met Shannon six months later, they fell in love and got married within three months. Eddie then joined the army. A year later their son Christopher was born.</p><p>Buck travelled from North America to South America, working and wandering. He hanged out with different girls and boys, living a free and debauched life, and even after he returned to the America and became a bartender, his life pattern didn't change much.</p><p>*****************************************</p><p>“Hey, Buck, are you okay?”</p><p>“Uh, I was distracted, what did you just say?" Eddie and Castiel seemed to have a good time during dinner. Castiel is a regular guest at Buck's bar, they've known each other for over three years, and it’s the first time he had seen Castiel laughed so much, Eddie seemed to be entertaining Castiel with his incredible rescue stories. Eddie also seemed to like Castiel very much.</p><p>“Cas is a bit drunk, I’ll give him a lift home. Do you need a ride too?” Eddie stood up, holding his bill in his hand, and looked at Buck.</p><p>“Oh, no, I’ll be fine on my own.”</p><p>“All right, see you later.” Eddie said. He glanced at Castiel with a smile before heading to the counter to check out.</p><p>“Cas, Dean... is that guy, right?" Buck asked Castiel when Eddie went out to pick up his car.</p><p>“Well, you can see that.” Castiel gave a bitter smile and hung his head. </p><p>“I'm sorry, I didn't know he’s Eddie's colleague.”</p><p>“No, I didn’t tell you his name or his job neither, so you didn’t figure out it was him. But thanks for introducing Eddie to me, he’s really nice, just like you said.” Castiel looked up with a smile on his face.</p><p>Buck could see in Castiel's clear eyes that love seeds of a new relationship seem to be sprouting.	</p><p>TBC</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Cas is gay! I can't believe he’s been cheating on us for years! What kind of the best friend like that??” Dean wiped the dish hard with a sponge in the sink.</p><p>“Dean, Cas probably has some reasons. Why don’t you talk to him?” Sam stood next to Dean with a cloth in his hand.</p><p>“Reasons? What the fuck is that? He also lied to me that Meg was his girlfriend! When I was with Lisa before, I even took a double date with them! I feel like an idiot!” Dean continued to wipe the dish hard.</p><p>“Dean, as long as we get into your house, you keep nagging about Cas. Don’t you get tired of it? And if you keep washing the same dish, we won’t be able to wash up all the dishes tonight.” Sam said roughly.</p><p>“Aren’t you angry? Cas has been cheating us for so long...” Dean glanced at Sam. “Wait, you... did you know all along?” Dean threw the sponge to the sink hard and stared at Sam. </p><p>“Uh, he told me a few years ago.” Sam looked away with an embarrassed look on his face. </p><p>“What?! We’ve known each other for ten years, and you said he told you a few years ago? So when did he tell you? Dean viciously stuffed the dish into Sam's hands.</p><p>“Well, like... nine years ago?” Sam dared not look at Dean. He hung his head and wiped the dish.</p><p>“What the hell?! Why did he just tell you?” Dean was so mad that he stared at Sam and his hands gripped the edge of the sink.</p><p>“Maybe... because you’re like that?” Sam muttered.</p><p>“What do you mean by that?” Dean squinted at Sam.</p><p>“Well, you have a little bias against gay men... that’s probably why Cas wouldn’t tell you.”</p><p>“I’m not ‘homophobic’, okay?” Dean rolled his eyes. “Eddie is bi, but you know he is also my good buddy, right? Dean started to wash another dish.</p><p>“Yeah, Eddie is bi, not gay. At least both of you like chicks.” Sam put down the dish in his hand and looked at Dean.</p><p>“Well, but it doesn't mean I’m 'homophobic. I… prefer my partners not to have the same equipment as me. I just can't understand gay men.” Dean lowered his eyes and whispered.</p><p>“Dean, just talk to Cas. Okay? He has listened to you for many years, could you just listen to him for once?” Dean’s temper is not good, and even they are brothers, Sam couldn't stand Dean sometimes. Dean seems to have many friends but Castiel is the only one who could tolerate him for so many years. Besides, Castiel and Sam are also good friends, Sam didn’t want his elder brother have a trouble with his good friend.   </p><p>*****************************************</p><p>Dean didn’t meet Castiel or contact Eddie for the rest of the remaining days off. He was still pissed at Castiel and he couldn’t understand why Castiel kept his secret for ten years. Also, it seemed that Sam just added fuel to the fire telling that he knew Castiel’s secret almost from the beginning. It made Dean even more angry and he couldn’t stand that Castiel had chosen to tell Sam, but not him.</p><p>“Dean and I do share a more profound bond. I wasn’t going to mention it.” Dean recalled there was a time when Sam, Castiel and he were in a bar, Sam had asked Castiel who’s his favor between Dean and he, and Castiel responded like this. Dean was satisfied with Castiel’s answer, as Dean was the one who had rescued Castiel from the car accident.</p><p>On the others hand, about the thing of homophobic… Indeed, Dean didn’t know how to deal with a gay guy well compared to bisexuals, or lesbians. He thought he would never discriminate against gay men but actually they made him a little bit sick. He blamed that it’s just a physical repulsion from them.       </p><p>Dean has so many short-term relationships and one-night stands during these ten years. His longest, and the most serious relationship lasted no more than two years. He thought he would have a family with Lisa, but it didn’t work out, so he decided to move to Los Angeles for starting a new life. The reason why he chose to move here was because he wanted to be in the same city with Sam, his younger brother and also his only family member. Besides, meeting Castiel again was so surprising and exciting since he moved to L. A.</p><p>Dean never thought Castiel was gay. When they were in Lawrence, Castiel introduced Meg to him as his girlfriend. Although Dean didn't like Meg, he thought it’s Castiel’s personal choice, and Dean didn’t make any comment. Castiel said that he and Meg are in a long distance relationship after he have moved to L. A., but Dean has a doubt about this because Meg only came to L.A. once during past five years as he knew.</p><p>Dean thought Castiel is his best friend and he telling the truth wouldn’t affect their friendship, and he thought Castiel had screwed up everything. Dean could not sleep well these few days and he started another shift work in a bad mood.</p><p>“Hi, Dean.” Eddie said hi to Dean and opened his locker next to Dean’s. Dean was just putting on his uniform. </p><p>“Hey, dude, I’m sorry for ruining your dinner last Friday.” Dean has just finished wearing his uniform.</p><p>“Actually, you missed the best strawberry pie. Cas said it was the best strawberry pie he’d ever had.”</p><p>“Cas had dinner with you guys?” Eddie’s words startled Dean. Dean didn’t expect Castiel in the mood for dinner with someone else as Castiel had a bad time with him. </p><p>“Yeah. Cas also said that you’re his good friend. But you didn’t answer to his phone calls these few days, and I guess you even didn’t read his texts, right?”</p><p>“Best friends.” Dean raised one eyebrow, and deliberately raising his voice. “Did he tell you about this?” Dean was still angry with Castiel for keeping his secret. Also, he thought that it was not the Eddie’s business, and he felt more upset when he knew that Castiel had told Eddie.  </p><p>“We went for coffee and talked for a long time on Sunday. We both felt like we had a good connection, so we are planning to let Cas and Christopher meet on my next days off. If everything goes right, we’ll be together.” Eddie said it calm and looked at Dean without any hesitation. </p><p>“Why are you telling me this?” I don’t care what relationship you're going to develop!” Dean's voice was so loud that his nearby colleagues looked at them.</p><p>“I didn't think it was any of your business, but Cas said that as your best friend, he just wanted to let you know.”</p><p>“Wow, should I say thank you for his announcement at this time?” Dean smiled coldly on hearing Eddie’s words.</p><p>“Dean, don't be a dick, okay? Even family members can have secrets. Cas has his reasons for keeping his secrets. I don't understand why you're so angry. If you still think of Cas as your friend, why don’t you talk to him?” Eddie lost his patience for facing up to unreasonable Dean. He closed the locker door and turned away.</p><p>*****************************************</p><p>“Hi, Eddie, I bought you strawberry and vanilla ice-cream.” Buck showed two big boxes of ice-cream inside the plastic bag to Eddie when he came in Eddie’s house.</p><p>“Thanks!” Eddie took the plastic bag from Buck with a warm smile.</p><p>“Where’s Christopher? I want to play the video games with him.” Buck went to the living room and sat on the couch after passing the plastic bag to Eddie. Christopher always sat on the couch watching TV around this time after back to home. But he was not sitting over there today.   </p><p>“Painting class, the after school program.” Eddie walked from the kitchen back to the living room after putting the ice-cream into the freezer. He didn’t sit down, just stood and responded to Buck.</p><p>“Um… you have plan today, right? I can see it.” Buck just noticed that Eddie was wearing an apron.</p><p>“It’s Cas’s first time coming over tonight. You know, meeting Christopher. I want to do something special.”</p><p>“Well, I can play the video games with Christopher another day.” Buck tried to cover disappointment with a little smile.</p><p>“You know you don’t have to go. You can join us if you want.”</p><p>“Um… I’ve got a date tonight. I met a chick on the apps.” Buck said and he put his hands on the chest to express the chick has huge boobs. “She’s hot.” Buck paused for a moment, “Go ahead and do your thing, everything will be perfect.”  Buck tapped on Eddie the shoulder and gave him a genuine smile. He stood up and prepared to leave.</p><p>“Thank you, and see you later.” Eddie took Buck to the front door.</p><p>*****************************************</p><p>One and half months ago</p><p>Buck have moved from Abby’s apartment to his sister, Maddie’s home for more than three months. He didn’t have too much stuff but he didn't want to open all the carton boxes and take out the stuff. He just left several carton boxes in a corner of Maddie's home. Deep down inside, Buck felt Abby and he were still together as long as he hadn’t taken all the stuff out. But everyone knew Abby had already dumped him a year ago.</p><p>“Buck, What is this?” Maddie passed a white box to Buck that she found out inside the  carton box. She could not ignore those boxes anymore and requested Buck to open and clean out the boxes. Maddie was also giving him a hand. </p><p>Buck opened the box and found a photo frame with a picture of Eddie and him which took on the day they met. He recalled their first met in the football game and smiled softly. Then he found out the sheet of paper napkin which had written down the deal between Eddie and him. Actually, Buck had no intention of keeping his promise. He just wanted to comfort Eddie, who had just been dumped by someone, so he made the deal with Eddie at that time. Buck had already forgotten the deal when Eddie got married.</p><p>“What’s that?” Maddie grabbed the paper napkin from Buck.</p><p>“Hey, Maddie!” Buck yelled and wanted to get back the paper napkin. But Maddie had stood up and turned around.</p><p>“Wow, you and Eddie have a deal like this, you are so adorable.” Maddie winked at Buck.</p><p>“Eddie broke up that day, and I just wanted to comfort him.” Buck tried to explain to Maddie.</p><p>“Really?” Maddie gave an ambiguous smile. “Huh? The Valentine’s Day after ten years? Isn’t that just less than four months? You’re both single right now, soon it will be time for you and Eddie to be a couple, how sweet!” She said and looked very happy.</p><p>Buck wasn't ready for another serious, long-term relationship as he just started to accept that Abby had dumped him. He liked Eddie and Christopher. He always went to Eddie’s home when he was day off. He felt relaxed and happy when they were stayed together. But to become a couple with Eddie is a different story. </p><p>*****************************************</p><p>One month ago</p><p>“Why do you suddenly introduce someone to me?” Eddie frowned.</p><p>“Shannon, she’s been passed away for two years... You didn’t even have a date during last two years. Isn’t it the time to start thinking about finding a partner?” Buck came to Eddie's house again. Eddie and he coaxed Christopher to bed. After telling a bedside story and put Christopher to sleep, they went back to the living room together.</p><p>“You know I’ve got two full time jobs, firefighter and dad.  I don’t have time to plan for a date.”  Eddie took a sip of the beer holding in his hand.</p><p>“I’m your best friend, who is more qualified than me to plan a date and find a partner for you? Buck was exciting and looking straight at Eddie. “He is a language therapist, and he loved children. You and Christopher will like him very much.”</p><p>“Okay, I’ll consider for the date under one condition. It’s non-negotiable.” Eddie thought about it for a moment and replied.</p><p>“What are your terms?” Buck was curious.</p><p>“Will you come with me?” </p><p>“Oh, god!” Buck rolled his eyes.</p><p>“I won’t do this alone.” Eddie put down the beer to the table. “I’ve an idea, maybe I also pick out a friend over and make it become a gathering to meet a new friend? What do you think?”  </p><p>*****************************************</p><p>Buck didn't have any date at all tonight. He knew that Eddie and Castiel would welcome him if he wanted to stay. But he didn't want to stay. Buck made up his mind to hook up Eddie and Castiel because he knew they would get along well. But ever since the night Eddie met Castiel, Buck has felt like his heart was being emptied. </p><p>Today Maddie is on day shift. Buck returned to the empty apartment alone, and sitting on the couch. The television was on, and playing an unknown soap opera. He didn’t pay any attention to the soap opera, just recalled the memory with Eddie of a month ago and he was so excited to get Eddie out of the single at that time. He finally realizes that he, Eddie and Christopher often got together, and he knew his position will be replaced soon. He knew it’s his choice, but why did he felt empty and lonely? </p><p>TBC</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Castiel hadn’t been so nervous in a long time. In fact, he would be having dinner with Eddie and his son tonight at Eddie’s home. But ever since they confirmed the day for the dinner a week ago, he had been nervous, even anxious. He had taken a day off work to prepare for tonight. He spent the whole morning looking for suitable clothes in his closet, but he does not have many clothes, and they look very similar. Finally, he picked the shirt he usually wears to work. He stood in front of the mirror, he looked almost the same as he did at work, but it made him recall the memory of the first time he met Balthazar’s parents when he was only twenty-four years old.</p><p>Castiel’s parents were divorced when he was a little boy. Although he had two elder brothers, he was the only one who lived with his busy mother. Maybe because of his childhood longing for a father's love, he soon realized that he was only interested in boys instead of girls. Also, he was so eager for having a family with the one he love. Balthazar is ten years older than Castiel. Castiel was still a student and studying speech therapy when they met. They decided to move in together six months after they had met. Castiel met Balthazar's parents for the first time two months after they started living together. He still remembered how nervous he was, barely eating anything at dinner and just smiling and answering all of the questions from Balthazar’s parents. He was naive at the time, thinking he would be with Balthazar for the rest of his life, but all he got in return were so many betrayals and endless frighting with Balthazar. </p><p>Castiel opened the closet and unconsciously picked out the blue tie. He looked into the mirror and knotted the blue tie slowly. He thought about Dean, who had always said that the blue tie matched the color of his eyes. A feeling of heartache made Castiel close his eyes, but then he saw a familiar face with those unforgettable green eyes. He recalled the first time they had met.</p><p>When he found out that Balthazar had slept with the mother of his patient during the internship, he couldn’t put up with it anymore. After a major fight with Balthazar, Castiel left their apartment without looking back. He felt more desperate than ever, and then the car accident had happened. He was crushed under the car, but miraculously remained conscious and did not feel great pain. After the paramedic asking his name and checking for his vital signs, he saw those green eyes that he would never forget.</p><p>“You are Castiel, right? I’m Dean, we’ll get you out of here soon, you have to hold on .” Shortly after Dean said this, Castiel fell into a coma.</p><p>Castiel didn’t have many friends, only Meg visited him in the hospital besides his family. Balthazar had also been there, but he was immediately driven away by Meg. In the second week of staying in the hospital, an unexpected person showed up.</p><p>Castiel was reading a book when he heard a knock at the door, so he looked up. He saw a guy and surprised him.</p><p>“Hello, uh… you probably don’t remember me. I’m Dean Winchester, and I was one of the firefighters who were there on the day of your accident.”</p><p>In fact, Castiel remembered him. Besides the fact that Dean saved his life, Dean’s handsome outlook was also unforgettable to Castiel. But he never thought he’d have the chance to seeing Dean again. Dean said that normally they would only called the hospital to ask for the condition of the injured people, and never contact the injured people again after they completed their mission. However, because Castiel was his first direct rescue of the injured person after he became a firefighter, he wanted to check on Castiel in person. Dean also came twice in next two weeks. They kept in touch after Castiel was discharged from the hospital. Although their personalities were poles-apart, they got along well and became good friends. Dean even introduced his younger brother Sam to him. It didn’t take long for Castiel to fall in love with Dean. </p><p>It seemed that Dean was only love chicks and Castiel knew he didn’t have any chance, but at least he wanted to come out to Dean while he just missed every opportunities. On the other hand, Castiel found that Dean always felt sick whenever he was with a gay man, so he was hesitated coming out to Dean.</p><p>Although Castiel loved Dean, he is still an adult and sometimes he needed some spiritual and physical comfort. Soon after meeting Sam, he had to come out to Sam because Sam found that his good friend in high school was a sexual partner of Castiel. But luckily Sam promised to keep his secret, and he did keep his promise all these years.</p><p>Castiel was not only hiding his sexual interest from Dean, he also kept another secret for years. Regarding to the car accident that happened on the day they first met, Castiel told everyone that he was distracted and ran off the road by mistake. But the truth is that he was about to take his own life that day and he never told this secret to anyone. And after all these years, he had buried it all in the deepest part of his heart. But in this moment, somehow that the feeling of despair came back again. He knew he will start a new relationship soon, and if all goes well, he may even have a chance to have a new family. He shook his head hardly, and then ripped off the blue tie that had been tied around his neck.</p><p>Castiel had a wonderful dinner with Eddie and Christopher. Christopher was born with cerebral palsy and has movement disorders, but he is a smart, polite and cheerful child, just like a little angel. Eddie raised him very well, and Castiel knew how lucky he would be if he could become one of the fathers of this child.</p><p>*****************************************</p><p>“What are you doing here?” Dean opened the door and said it coldly when he heard someone knocking the door. Although everyone told him to talk to Castiel, he refused to answer Castiel's calls or check text messages sent to him for two weeks.</p><p>Castiel is a speech pathologist who worked with children, so he is a good listener. Dean used to talk to his best friend about everything, from his work to his personal life. He would share everything without keeping any secret. Castiel always listened to him with a smile, and only provided advice sometimes. After Castiel came out to him, he realizes that Castiel rarely talked about himself. Dean only knew that Castiel has two brothers and Meg, a fake girlfriend. Castiel seemed to have been in a relationship with someone else before Meg, but it seemed to have gone badly. Actually, he knew only very little about Castiel, which made him wonder if Castiel had always treated him as a therapy patient, but never as a best friend. That's probably why he was so angry all along.</p><p>“You didn’t pick up me call, so… I came here.” Castiel felt bad about Dean’s attitude, but he knew that if he didn’t make things clear, he couldn’t move on, and couldn’t really be with Eddie.</p><p>“Can I... come in?” Castiel bowed his head, not daring to look at Dean’s face. 	</p><p>After a while, he found the door open, and he raised his head.</p><p>“Say it quick!”</p><p>“Dean, I’m sorry.” </p><p>“Are you done? Then you can go.” Dean folded his arms over his chest. Castiel knew the look of rejection in Dean’s face, and he was about to explode. </p><p>“Dean, I didn’t mean to hide anything from you, and I’m really sorry. I just came here to tell you that Eddie and I are together... and I don’t want you to hear about it from him.” Castiel turned around and prepared to leave after saying his words.</p><p>“Uh, you’re not afraid to tell me this now?” Dean smiled coldly.</p><p>“I really didn’t mean to hide it from you, it’s just that... I kept missing the chance.” Castiel stopped and turned to look at Dean.</p><p>“Missing the chance? Uh? Are you fucking kidding me?” Dean felt angry and walked up to Castiel. “Sam only returned to Lawrence after a long college vacation, I don’t think you have a lot of time to spend with him, but you did tell him, only him! And we met a lot but you said you didn’t have a chance to tell me?? What’s a fucking excuse?!”</p><p>“I’m...” Castiel bit his lower lip, he knew it was irreversible, and no matter how he apologized, Dean wouldn’t forgive him. Castiel had took a deep breath.</p><p>“Do you remember you asked me what I want the most before? I said I didn’t know, but in fact I did. And I knew that no matter how hard I tried, I would never get what I wanted, because what I wanted was you --Dean Winchester! I fell in love with you the first year we met...” Tears welled in Castiel's eyes, but he really didn’t want to shed tears in front of Dean.</p><p>“Do you know how hard for me to be by your side at Lawrence for those three years? I could stand watching you changed girlfriends again and again, at least I could keep the position of the ‘best friend’. But when you decided to have a long-term relationship with Lisa, I knew I wanted to be more than a ‘best friend’, I wanted to be your boyfriend!” Castiel couldn't hold back his tears and tears raced down his cheeks finally. He could tell from Dean's stunned expression that Dean never seemed to think about his best friend had a secret crush to him. But it’s no longer important, he wants to end everything today. </p><p>“I knew I can’t move on if I stay at Lawrence. I needed to break this cycle and I couldn’t do it from Lawrence, so I chose to leave. But when Sam said you were moving to L. A., I knew I was done. I couldn’t escape from you anymore. But it's been ten years, and I couldn’t wait... wait for someone who didn’t even know I loved him.” Castiel had felt a lump in his throat and barely being able to breathe. He knew it was the end.</p><p>“I love you.” Castiel turned around after confessing his love.</p><p>“Cas!” </p><p>Castiel stopped walking but didn’t turn around. He just prayed for a freaking miracle.</p><p>“Eddie is a good guy, and he will cherish you.”</p><p>The miracle didn’t happen after all and the tears that had once stopped were about to break again.</p><p>“Goodbye, Dean.” Castiel closed his eyes. He began to sob, and choked out.</p><p>Three days later, Castiel appeared as Eddie’s boyfriend and visited Eddie’s home again. </p><p>*****************************************</p><p>Eddie and Castiel have been a couple for two weeks. These days Buck avoided meeting them by using different excuses. He missed Eddie and Christopher; he missed the feeling when he closed to Eddie and he also missed those days when three of them were together, the days of boisterous laughter. But it was the choice he made. It was too late for him to know how much he loved Eddie and how much he wanted to be Christopher’s father.    </p><p>Today is weekend. The bar is busier than usual. There were couples dating, and some gathering of friends. But most of the customers came to the bar alone and looked for a one-night stand. Buck has just finished mixing a Manhattan, and then another customer ordered a martini. Buck distracted by the sound of a glass shattering when he picked up an olive and wanted to put in the glass. The olive fell onto the table. Then Buck heard noise over somewhere and he realized something was happening.</p><p>Buck walked through the crow and saw a guy laid on the floor. Another guy was crouching by the side and pushing the guy laid on the floor.</p><p>“Call 911!” Buck shouted to a large crowd of people. “spread out and get him some fresh air!”</p><p>“Hey, hey what happened?” Buck said it gentle to the guy beside the guy laid on the floor.   </p><p>“Henry, he… I don’t know… We were talking and… he just fell down.” The guy seemed nervous and chaotic.  </p><p>Buck checked and found that Henry was not breathing, so he rolled Henry over and let him lying on his back. Buck knew even paramedics are on the their way but he must do something until they get here, so he started doing CPR that he learned from Eddie before. He kept doing chest compressions until paramedics arrived. There was a heavy atmosphere at the bar, some people were whispering and some people were praying.  </p><p>“We got a pulse!” A paramedic was so exciting to say it after using the AED to shock Henry twice. All of the people inside the bar applauded when they heard the great news and Buck felt relieved finally.</p><p>“Is he okay?” When the paramedics lifted Henry on a stretcher, Buck asked one of the paramedic stood beside them. </p><p>“He properly be okay because of you.” The paramedic gave Buck a kind smile. It’s an amazing, exciting and indescribable feeling that Buck have never experienced. At this moment, Buck finally has understood why Eddie chose to became a firefighter, and he made a big decision.</p><p>TBC</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Dad, why hasn’t Buck come over lately? I want to play TV games with him.” Christopher laid on the bed and looked at Eddie.</p>
<p>“Buck... he’s very busy. Isn’t Cas playing with you, too?” Eddie sat on Christopher’s side of the bed and tucked his son in.</p>
<p>“Cas doesn’t know how to play. It’s more fun playing with Buck. Cas is... like a teacher.” Christopher said it slowly and smiled shyly.</p>
<p>Eddie laughed at the awkward smile of his adorable son. Eddie stroked Christopher’s hair, recalling when Castiel had offered to arrange speech therapy for Christopher, and he had refused at first, but finally agreed to Castiel’s suggestion. Eddie and Castiel had been dating for nearly a month, and they had only dated twice alone. They spent most of time in Eddie’s home with Christopher. Castiel not only accompanied Christopher to do some pronunciation exercises, but also guided him in his homework. Castiel is really more like a teacher, as Christopher said.</p>
<p>“I still like Buck better.” Christopher said with a pure and innocent look.</p>
<p>“Good night.” Eddie kissed on Christopher’s forehead.</p>
<p>“Good night.” Christopher said and closed his eyes.</p>
<p>After turning off the lights in Christopher’s room, Eddie looked back at his son. “Me too.” Eddie whispered and closed the door.</p>
<p>Eddie was exhausted after a twelve-hour shift. However, he wanted to have a drink before going to bed. He went to the kitchen to get a beer and then walked to the living room. He put the beer on the edge of the cupboard which next to several photo frames. He picked up the one made by Buck with the photo when they first met. He touched the face of Buck on the photo with his thumb. Although it has been almost ten years, Eddie still remembered the day when Buck handed him the frame. It was Valentine’s Day, and he had arranged a date in a fine dining restaurant for his girlfriend. However, his girlfriend showed up with a guy and told Eddie that this was her new boyfriend. Eddie was shocked, but surprisingly, he didn’t feel particularly sad. After his ex-girlfriend left with her new boyfriend, Eddie called Buck right away.</p>
<p>Buck is not only Eddie’s best friend, but also a very special and unique person for Eddie. Eddie was so happy when Buck offered him “The ten-year plan”. Although he knew it was just a joke to comfort him, he had imagined that he and Buck would be a couple in ten years and how happy they will. He decided to keep this fantasy in his heart forever after he met Shannon. After Shannon had passed away, Eddie was too busy taking care of Christopher and working. Also, Buck was always around, so he didn’t bring up their plan. It wasn’t until Buck offered to introduce Castiel to him that he realized Buck remembered the plan. </p>
<p>Eddie put down the frame, picked up the beer and walked to his bedroom. He turned on the light in the room and went to the bedside and sat down. He took a sip of beer and opened the drawer of the small cupboard beside the bed. He took out a piece of paper napkin with a plan between him and Buck. He had been staring at the paper napkin for a long time. </p>
<p>“Idiot!” Eddie sighed.</p>
<p>*****************************************</p>
<p>This evening Castiel visited Eddie’s home again. </p>
<p>“Cas, are you busy on Christmas Day?” Eddie asked in the middle of dinner.</p>
<p>“I have the day off, and I’m free.” Castiel put down his fork and looked at Eddie with a slight cocked head.</p>
<p>“Party!” Christopher showed his excitement.</p>
<p>“I’m gonna working on Christmas, and the fire station is having a party in the afternoon on Christmas Day. Friends and family of the people on duty can join the party. Also, we’ll exchange gifts.” Eddie paused, “Dean will be on duty that day, too.”</p>
<p>“Oh, really?”</p>
<p>Castiel showed the painful look. Whenever Dean’s name was mentioned, Castiel would show that look. Although it only lasted very briefly, Eddie could still catch it clearly.</p>
<p>Castiel was cleaning up and washing the dishes after dinner. He told Eddie that because Eddie did cooking, he would do cleaning up. He insisted on sharing the works with Eddie. Eddie took the time to give Christopher a bath. And then Eddie put Christopher to bed and told him a bedside story. When he was sure Christopher was sleeping, he left the room and closed the door gently.</p>
<p>Eddie returned to the living room, hugged Castiel and watched TV together. The TV was showing a couple kissing. Castiel turned slightly to Eddie and found that the Eddie was smiling at him.</p>
<p>They moved closer and sealing their lips together. Castiel could feel Eddie’s breath on his face. It wasn’t an intense kiss, their tongues were intertwined, exploring each other slowly. Eddie was on top of Castiel, one of his hands was sliding into Castiel’s sweater and caressing him. Castiel knew what was going to happen next: they would kiss a little while, and then make love in Eddie’s room, sometimes he would spend the night with Eddie. He thought may be few months later, he would move to Eddie’s home and live with Eddie and Christopher.</p>
<p>Eddie is a very gentle and good father. Castiel knew that Eddie will cherish him and will be a good boyfriend and even a husband. Christopher is a very smart and sweet boy, and Castiel likes him very much. But... is this what he wants the most? Castiel couldn’t help but ask himself. Castiel’s mind is at battle while he found that Eddie has stopped touching him.</p>
<p>“Cas, we need to talk.” Eddie said it with a serious look.</p>
<p>*****************************************</p>
<p>“Fire station is having a party in the afternoon on Christmas Day and we’ll exchange gifts. Christopher will be there also. He said he hasn’t seen you for a long time, are you coming that day?”<br/>--  20/12  13:44  Received</p>
<p>Buck stared at the text message sent by Eddie for a while. Eddie and he took Christopher to meet Santa Clause at the Christmas market last Christmas, and they were mistaken as a couple by the staff there, but he didn’t deny it. And now he realized why he had reacted that way. He was so eager for being a family with Eddie and Christopher. Why was he so blinded that he gave up the one he loved to someone else? But he knew that there is nothing he could do about it now. When Eddie and Castiel became a couple, he deliberately kept his distance from Eddie. He knew he couldn’t avoid them forever, and he had quit his job and nothing to do that day, so he took that opportunity to give them his blessing.</p>
<p>“Okay, I’ll come and bring the Christmas gift.”<br/>--  20/12  14:29  Sent</p>
<p>“Don’t forget to bring our plan.”<br/>--  20/12  14:31  Received</p>
<p>“?”<br/>--  20/12  14:31  Sent </p>
<p>“Don’t tell me you lost the paper napkin with our back-up plan.” <br/>--  20/12  14:33  Received</p>
<p>Buck’s eyes widened. He didn’t expect Eddie still remember their little plan. But isn’t there more than a month before the 10-year plan expired? Why would Eddie bring it up now? Was it because he had Castiel now, and wanted to cancel the plan early? So many questions came to his mind, but he knew he wouldn’t get any answers at this moment. Buck stared at the screen of his phone for a long time, he took a deep breath before pressing “send”.</p>
<p>“I’ll bring over there.” <br/>--  20/12  14:51  Sent</p>
<p>*****************************************</p>
<p>Buck arrived at the fire station with a Christmas gift in a nervous mood. It was very crowded at the fire station because many friends and family members of the firefighters on duty were at the party.</p>
<p>“Buck!” Christopher came to Buck with his cane in both hands and then hugged his leg.</p>
<p>“Hey, buddy, how are you?” Buck knelt down and touched Christopher’s hair.</p>
<p>“I want to play TV games with you, when will you come to my home?”</p>
<p>“Sorry, I’ve been very busy lately. Did Cas not play with you?” Buck hadn’t seen Christopher recently because he wanted to avoid Eddie, and he truly felt sorry for him.</p>
<p>“He doesn’t know anything about it, and he’s a terrible player. I just want to play with you.” Christopher smiles brightly at Buck.</p>
<p>“Chris...” Buck felt warm and guilty when he saw Christopher’s lovely and kind smile. He knew he had no reason to avoid meeting anyone of them, even though Eddie and Castiel had become lovers, because it was his idea to hook them up after all.</p>
<p>“Buck!” Eddie walked through the crowd to Buck.</p>
<p>“Chris, Buck and I have something to talk about, so get something to eat with Carla.” Eddie knelt down and talked to Christopher. </p>
<p>“Cas... where is he?” Buck questioned as he followed Eddie to the changing room.</p>
<p>“He didn’t come here today.”</p>
<p>“Why? Is he busy with something?” It was a holiday, and Buck wondered why Castiel hadn’t shown up here.</p>
<p>“Did you bring that plan with you?” Eddie didn’t answer Buck’s question. He checked around the changing room, as if to make sure no one else was there. </p>
<p>“I broke up with Cas.” Eddie finally responded when he was done checking.</p>
<p>“What?!” Eddie had told Buck he liked Castiel so much, hence Buck was shocked that they broke up after dating for only a month.</p>
<p>“Why?” Buck was still dazed, but he took the napkin out of his trouser pocket.</p>
<p>Eddie was holding the same napkin as Buck. He took the napkin from Buck’s hand and then tore the napkins in half in front of Buck.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?” Buck’s eyes widened. While he hadn’t completely processed the news of Eddie and Castiel’s breakup, Eddie stunned him once again.</p>
<p>“We don’t need this anymore.” Eddie had a gentle smile on his face. But Buck knew he had something important to say. Buck didn’t know what Eddie was going to say, but it made Buck feel extremely uncomfortable and nervous.</p>
<p>“Evan Buckley, would you like to make a new deal with me?” </p>
<p>“A new deal?” Buck frowned. He was confused by Eddie’s series of actions. He couldn’t figure out what Eddie was trying to do.</p>
<p>“Let’s make us a couple from now on.” Eddie said this in a serious tone. “No deadline.” He quickly added.</p>
<p>“What?” Buck couldn’t help but yelled. He understood every single word Eddie said, but he couldn’t understand what those meant. He felt his brain stop working at all.</p>
<p>“Will you stay with me forever?” Eddie took a deep breath, his eyes filled with feelings, and said the words with all kinds of meaning.</p>
<p>“Is this a proposal?” Buck didn’t think much about it before he blurted out. But when he saw Eddie’s complicated look, he immediately regretted it. Did he misunderstand something? What did Eddie mean by that statement? He hung his head and didn’t dare to look at Eddie.</p>
<p>“...You can read it that way, too.”</p>
<p>The awkward silence didn’t last long. Buck’s eyes widened and he lifted his head incredulously. The next second he jumped to Eddie and hugged him tightly.</p>
<p>“I do, I do!” Buck shouted with excitement. He thought he’d lost Eddie but he never thought he’d get him back. This time he would grab Eddie tight and never give him to anyone else.</p>
<p>“I think I deserve a kiss before that...” Eddie cupped Buck’s face in both hands and slowly leaned into him.</p>
<p>*****************************************</p>
<p>Dean knew that Eddie was on duty today. After Castiel confessed his love for him, he had been avoiding Eddie. He didn’t want to face Eddie, he was afraid to hear what Eddie had to say about Castiel; he didn’t want to know how close they had become, he didn’t want to know at all. He even asked their captain, Bobby, to stagger his and Eddie’s shifts. Bobby asked Dean for a reason, but he didn’t give strange answer. Eventually, Bobby agreed to try arranging it, but he asked Dean to fix the problem between him and Eddie as soon as possible. With the help of Bobby, Dean finally succeeded in avoiding Eddie for almost a month, but in the end, he couldn’t avoid it anymore. Today Eddie begins his shift in the afternoon, and Dean thought Castiel, as Eddie’s boyfriend, was definitely coming to the party at the fire station.</p>
<p>Dean misses Castiel. He remembered the last time he saw Castiel, and he was so painful with all the hard feelings in his heart. He never thought his best friend would fall in love with him, so when he heard Castiel’s confession, he really didn’t know how to respond. When Castiel left his apartment that day, he fell to the floor, tears flooding out of his eyes uncontrollably. He felt so sad that a little voice in his mind told him to go after Castiel, but he knew he couldn’t because he wasn’t gay and he couldn’t possibly fall in love with Castiel. He told himself that since he couldn’t respond to Castiel’s love, he should let Eddie make Castiel happy. Although Dean would hear that little voice telling him how much he missed Castiel from time to time, he always ignored it.</p>
<p>Eddie and Castiel have been a couple for a month, and Dean knew it’s time to give them a blessing. After helping to prepare some party snacks, he looked for Eddie and Castiel in the crowd. He didn’t see Castiel, but he did see Eddie and Buck walking towards the changing room. He wondered what they were doing, and after thinking about it for a while, he decided to go to the changing room.</p>
<p>“Son of a bitch! Eddie! You are cheating on Cas?!” When Dean saw Eddie and Buck kissing, he was mad as hell. </p>
<p>Eddie and Buck heard Dean’s angry yelling and immediately separated. They didn’t know what’s going on, but Dean has already rushed forward and punched Eddie in his face. Without any defense, Eddie was hit and fell to the ground.</p>
<p>“Eddie, are you okay?” Buck helped Eddie up and checked Eddie’s face for injuries. The punch mark on Eddie’s face made Buck feel a heartache.</p>
<p>“You’re fucking crazy!” Buck turned to Dean and glared at him, then he tried to grab Dean’s collar, but Eddie stopped him.</p>
<p>“I broke up with Cas.” Eddie said calmly, stepping between Buck and Dean.</p>
<p>“What?” Dean was stunned and looked at Eddie with eyes wide open.” Didn’t you guys just be together for a month? What the hell is going on?”</p>
<p>“Cas and I both have someone irreplaceable in our hearts.” Eddie gives Buck a glance. “Dean, I’m not trying to interfere with your life, I just want you to think about what Cas means to you.” Eddie didn’t get mad at Dean, although he did get a punch in his face. He felt that Dean and he are very much alike: he has Christopher, and Dean has Sam. Their closest family member is almost everything to them, and because of this, they have always neglected the fact that there are other people around them who are so irreplaceable. He almost missed out on the perfect one, and he didn’t want Dean to make the same mistake.</p>
<p>“Eddie, I’m sorry... about all of this... I’m sorry anyway.” After that Dean left the changing room like he was running away. The thought of meeting Castiel filled Dean’s mind. He didn’t know what he was going to say to Castiel, but he knew he had to meet him.</p>
<p>“Although I’d like to work here, I don’t really want to be partnered with Dean.” Buck muttered in the direction of Dean’s leaving.</p>
<p>“What are you talking about?” Eddie frowned slightly, with a look of confusion.</p>
<p>“Well, actually, I applied to be a firefighter, and I will have the Physical Ability Test soon.”</p>
<p>“Really? Wow, that’s great!” Eddie hugged Buck with excitement. “Then I'll be able to help you with your trainings next.”</p>
<p>“Shall we continue with what we were doing before that?” Buck’s face flushed, and he looked down at the ground with embarrassment.</p>
<p>“Sure, I’d love to.” Eddie smiled and kissed Buck.</p>
<p>*****************************************</p>
<p>“Dean, where are you going? I thought your shift didn’t end until tomorrow, right?” Sam just entered the fire station and grabbed Dean’s arm, who was leaving the fire station with his head down.</p>
<p>“Cas...”</p>
<p>“What’s wrong with Cas?” Sam let go of Dean’s arm and looked at Dean with a puzzled face.</p>
<p>“He... I...” Dean looked up at his brother, who was half a head taller than him, and he lost his words. He then realized he was still in uniform, and his 24-hour shift work would not end until noon tomorrow. Dean had no idea what he should or wanted to do, except that the thought of meeting Castiel was lingering in his mind.</p>
<p>“Cas and Eddie broke up.” Although he still felt very confused, he spilled the beans to Sam. When Sam started to ask him for more information, the alarm at the fire station suddenly went off, and Dean took the opportunity to escape on the excuse of going on field duty.</p>
<p>The mission was just to deal with a small fire. Dean and his team set off back in less than an hour. Dean is welcomed by Sam’s bitch face. </p>
<p>After promising to talk to Castiel at the end of his shift, Dean finally got rid of Sam. But then he and Eddie were summoned by Bobby at the same time.</p>
<p>After listening to Eddie’s explanation of how he “accidentally” slammed into the locker door and got a facial injury, Bobby didn’t say anything, he just kept scanning between Dean and Eddie.</p>
<p>“It seems that the problem between you has been solved, right? If you have a problem next time, find another way to solve it.” Bobby said and let them go.</p>
<p>The Christmas festivities made people forget the importance of safety while celebrating. The result was that Dean had been called out three times during the night. Half an hour before he finished his shift, he was called out again.</p>
<p>Dean’s busy schedule may be a good thing for him, at least it helped him forget about Castiel for a while. He was tempted to go straight to Castiel when he finished his duty, but on the drive in his Impala, he changed his mind. He really didn’t know how to face Castiel. He had no intention of hurting Castiel, but in fact he had wasted ten years of his life because of Dean. Although this was Castiel’s personal choice, it also made Dean feel very guilty. The truth is that there isn’t a lot of time in life to squander, and even if they could get back to their friendship, what’s his plan after that? Is he going to keep Castiel trapped by his side for another decade? He couldn’t be that selfish. It seemed like Dean’s only option is to get out of Castiel’s life forever.</p>
<p>TBC</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you very much for reading this story and I hope you could enjoy it!! English is not my mother language and this is a challenge for me to write a longer fiction in English and I would like to thank William for editing the story!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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